In Limbo
by Eternal Enchanting
Summary: What happens after the end of the anime? The SPR tackle new cases, that's what! Join Mai, Naru, and our other favorite ghost hunters as they investigate hauntings, exercise spirits, and protect the resident danger magnet. MaixNaru
1. Case 1-A Mother's Love-Part 1

**Hey guys! For those of you who** **read my stories, thank you for your continued support and I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to post anything. I've had very serious personal events occur and a hectic school schedule that just wasn't conducive to writing. Right now I'm trying to deal with my parents splitting and I discovered writing makes me happy so here I am! Back in business, baby! Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Oh, and make sure to review and tell me what you think!**

~Case 1 - A Mother's Love - Part 1~

Mai's eyes snapped open with a gasp. She looked up at the onmyouji who sat across from her. He looked at her calmly and gave her a small, comforting smile. "What did you see, Mai?"

She glanced down sadly at the diamond ring she had pinched between her slim fingers. "The owner was a woman- I think she around her late 30's, but I'm not sure- and she had a fight with her fiance. She threw her ring at him and ran out, but because she was so angry she didn't look to see where she was going when she crossed the street. She walked straight into traffic."

Lin looked at her and tilted his head. "That's spot on, Mai. Good job. I told you you'd be a natural."

Mai beamed. "Thanks! I'm glad I'm getting better," She held the ring out to him.

"You were never bad," He smiled reassuringly and patted her knee. "You can keep that ring, if you'd like. Madoka gave it to me to help you. She won't be wanting it back."

Mai gaped. "Are you sure? I think it's all real. It's got to be worth a lot."

"I'm positive," Lin stood up and held a hand out to her.

She took it and pulled herself up with an extra excited bounce. "Thank you so much!" She squealed and threw her arms around his neck, tensing as she realized she wasn't quite sure if she was crossing a line of some kind and relaxing when Lin only laughed and gave her a half-hug in return.

Mai stepped back after a moment, a huge grin on her face. "Well, time to do paperwork," She sang, slipping the old ring onto her right middle finger. She gave Lin a parting wave as she left his office.

It had been nearly 5 months since Naru had gotten out of the hospital- meaning it had also been nearly 5 months since SPR had had their last case. Naru kept insisting the cases were far too dull for him to waste his time on, but Mai was beginning to suspect that he'd take any case because any ghost, no matter how boring, was still more interesting than the office.

Still, although the office and office work were tedious Mai was getting along better with both Lin and Naru than she ever had. She had been worried after the first couple weeks of no cases that the three of them constantly being together in such a small space for so long would make her relationship with them even more strained than it already was, and was extraordinarily surprised and pleased to find it had the opposite effect.

Lin had been a bit more cordial to Mai after the Urado case, but she wouldn't go so far as to say they were "friends". Subsequently, Mai was dubious when Naru suggested that Lin work with Mai to try to develop her psychic abilities. Spending hours every day with a man she was fairly sure didn't like her sounded like an uncomfortable situation in general. Lin had agreed, though, so she went through with it.

The first few sessions had been awkward and tense, but after a while they grew more comfortable around each other. Now they talked and laughed together, and Mai knew that they had morphed from a casual co-worker acquaintance into something that was like what she had with the rest of their group- familial.

And then there was Naru. The more time they spent together, the more Naru was willing to talk to her. They talked to each other before, of course, but this was more banter-like. More...friend-like. He teased her constantly (of course he did- how could anyone expect any different?), but there seemed to be a kinder tone behind it now than there was. Naru even came out and did his work in the main room with her on days when he wasn't too busy. Mai smiled fondly at the thought.

"Naru?" Mai called as she rapped her knuckles against his office door. "Do you want some tea?"

There was a short pause before Naru opened his door to her. "Yes," He said with a handful of files in one fist.

"Okay," She turned and walked to the kitchen, poking her head into Lin's office as she passed. "Tea, Lin?"

"Please," Mai nodded and closed the door again. She glanced over her shoulder to see Naru right behind her.

She grabbed a teakettle and began filling it with water. "We have a client coming in today."

"I know. In about an hour, actually," Naru leaned against the counter next to her and flipped through a file.

"Are you going to take it?" Mai reached into the cupboard and grabbed two containers of tea. She held them out to him.

"Earl Grey," He gestured to a jar. "I don't know. The case seemed interesting on the phone, but then so have the others that have contacted us recently."

"Yeah, but anything's better than just sitting in here all day," She complained, facing him while the water boiled. Naru smirked.

"Are you implying that our company is unfavorable?" Mai rolled her eyes.

"I'm implying that you need to redecorate the office. Do you know how boring it is to look at the same solid-color walls everyday?"

"This is an office," Naru reminded. "Wallpaper with flowers on it would hardly be appropriate."

The teakettle whistled and Mai turned to finish the tea. "I'm not saying flowers!" She giggled. "Although I do have some pretty pictures at home..."

"Mai, if you come into this office and attempt to hang anything up on my walls, you will be fired on the spot," Naru warned. Mai caught the amused quirk of his eyebrow and smirked.

"Yes sir, Mr. Big Bad Boss sir," She handed him his tea and gave a mock salute, receiving an eye roll in return. Mai took the remaining cups in each hand.

Naru trailed behind her as she walked to Lin's office to deliver the tea. "Earl Grey," She informed him matter-of-factly. She was halfway out the door when the bell attached to the front door rang.

Mai balked, looking frantically between the door and the cup. "They're too early! Um..." Mai eyed her cup of tea. After a second of thought she thrust it into Naru's hands, ignoring him as he struggled to balance the two full cups and the files. "Hold this!" She told him unnecessarily before rushing to the front door.

"Hi, welcome to SPR. How can-Guys!" Mai yelped when saw who it was at the door. She ran and threw her arms around Ayako and Monk.

"Hi Mai," Ayako smiled at her and gave her a tight squeeze. "It's been a while!"

"Yeah, way too long!" Monk agreed. He stepped back and gave her a playful glare. "Why haven't you been calling us?"

"We haven't had any cases since the last one we went on together!" Mai defended as Naru walked into the room.

"Mai, I am not your table," He glared. He held out his files which had her tea sat on top of them.

"Sorry," She winced apologetically and took the cup from him to set it down on the more conventional table. "I'll go get you guys some tea too, give me a second."

After everyone had their tea and were sitting comfortably on the couch, Naru looked at the two visitors. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to find out why we haven't been contacted in forever!" Ayako scolded.

"Together?" Mai grinned teasingly.

The adults both flushed but chose to ignore the comment. "We were talking and when we found out neither of us had heard from you we decided to come see what was going on," Monk said.

"So you haven't talked to Masako in 5 months?" Ayako asked, brushing off her embarrassment with a cough and flip of the hair. "She must be worked into a tizzy."

Naru shrugged, looking largely unconcerned with the idea. "She'll get over it."

"We have a client coming today," Mai said, redirecting the conversation. She looked at the clock. "They should be here really soon."

"A perfect reason for you to leave," Naru added.

Monk waved a dismissive hand at Naru. "We aren't leaving. The client won't care that a couple extra people are hanging around."

Mai grinned happily as Naru opened his mouth to protest. Before he could, the door opened with a jingle.

"Um, is this Shibuya Psychic Research?" A middle-aged man asked. Mai stood up and gave him a brilliant smile, well aware of the glower Naru was aiming at their friends behind her.

"Yep, that's us! SPR for short. Are you Tai Oita?" He nodded and Mai led the man to the chair she had been sitting at and handed him a cup of tea. She went and informed Lin that the client was there before going and standing behind Naru.

"Mr. Oita," Naru began once Lin sat down and opened his laptop. "When did you first begin noticing the activity?"

The man scratched his head. "I believe we began noticing activity about a month after we bought the house, so that would have been around four months ago." Naru nodded.

"And what is the nature of the activity?" Naru asked.

"My wife..." Tai began, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and tried again. "My wife Sei. Someone- no, something keeps attacking her."

Naru leaned forward interestedly. "What's happened?"

"Well, it started out relatively small. She mentioned a couple times that she thought she heard crying when no one was home and that she'd walked into the kitchen to find containers had been knocked over but our kids swore it wasn't them At first we just thought it was all in her her head and that the kids fibbed, but it got worse. Her hair kept being pulled and things would just fly at her when she walked by. Once she felt hands lightly squeezing her throat. She said it didn't hurt but for someone reason she felt like it was a threat. More than once she's been playing with our children and something pushed her and locked her into a room alone. And then..." The mans's voice got caught in his throat. He paused a moment to pull himself back together and took a deep breath before starting again. "Yesterday she was pushed down the stairs. I just can't imagine would've happened if I hadn't caught her." Tai looked up at Naru desperately. "We live in a big house, Mr. Shibuya, that flight of stairs is enormous."

The room was silent for a moment, save the clicks from Lin's rapid typing. Mai watched as Naru rested his chin on his fist and looked at the wall contemplatively. A few seconds passed and then Naru looked up to meet the man's gaze.

"We'll take your case. We will be able to arrive around noon tomorrow and once we're here we will need at least two bedrooms and another to set up our equipment in. Is that doable?"

"Of course! They'll be ready by the time you all get there." Tai stood up, positively beaming and shook Naru's hand. "Thank you so much! You have no idea what a relief this is."

The group in the main office were quiet while Mai led Tai out the door. As soon as the door closed, Mai, Monk, and Ayako jumped up and cheered. "Thank you!" Mai exclaimed, practically glowing in her excitement. "It's been so long!"

Naru shook his head at the three he called co-workers. "Mai, inform Yasuhara, Ms. Hara, and Father Brown that we have a case," He ordered, picking up his work and retreating to the sanctity of his office.

"You got it boss!

 **Woo hoo! First chapter of our new story is up! I'm pretty happy with how it is right now; I spent an insane amount of time going through and editing and I really liked how it turned out. But, it's not just my opinion that matters!** _Please review and tell me what you thought about it!_ **Say what you liked, what you didn't like, what made you laugh, etc. because I am writing this for you guys and** _your feedback is what drives me and helps me grow!_ **Thanks so much for reading! I love you guys!**


	2. Case 1-A Mother's Love-Part 2

~Case 1 - A Mother's Love - Part 2~

Mai sat up with a pained groan. She ached all over. She stretched her arms over her head and let out a near silent gasp when she caught sight of her arms. Mai observed herself in horrified awe- why was she covered in bruises? She was almost entirely black and blue. She looked around at the unfamiliar room. Where was she, anyway?

"I'm dreaming," She whispered to herself, standing up shakily. Her legs felt like they were just barely able to support her weight. "This is probably related to the case we just got..." She muttered and glanced around. "Better see what I can find out."

Her body flinched involuntarily as a door slammed shut. A deep feeling of dread pooled in the pit of her stomach.

"What the hell have you been doing?!" A shrill voice screamed from downstairs. A panic that Mai knew wasn't hers overcame her and she lost the ability to control herself. She shook her head and backed up a few steps, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. She was shaking so violently it almost hurt. The door to the room she was in burst open to reveal an angry, disheveled young woman.

"I-I feel asleep," Mai's mouth stuttered without her permission. "I'm s-sorry, I-"

"You're sorry," The woman sneered mockingly. She stomped over to her and gave her a backhand that sent her to the ground. "Sorry doesn't clean this dump, does it?"

Mai clutched her cheek and felt hot tears begin to slide down her face."I-I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I w-was too busy last night, and I didn't sleep much. I was tired, and I-"

"Stop making excuses!" The woman raged. She pointed an accusing finger at her and walked forward forcing Mai to scramble backwards until her back smacked against the legs of chair she had been sitting in. Her watery eyes widened in fear. "After all I've done for you, this is how you repay me? You can't do even such a simple task? You worthless little-"

"I'm...I'm sorry," Mai interrupted with her sobs. "Mom-"

The woman's eyes took on a wild edge, any hint of sanity once there now completely gone. "Don't you dare call me that!" The woman snarled. She lunged and wrapped her calloused hands around Mai's neck.

"S...stop!" Mai choked out, bringing her hands up to try to relieve the pressure on her neck. "Please...M-mo..."

"Shut up," She growled, squeezing harder than she had before. Her nails bit into Mai's skin.

Mai's hands, trying to pry the woman's hands from her neck, began growing limp. Her vision blurred and darkened. She dragged her eyes up to the woman's face, who, while her grip was still as tight as ever, now had a twisted sort of happy expression that Mai took an odd delight in. She'd never worn that kind of expression around her before and she, even as her body abandoned all hope of getting the oxygen it so desperately craved, was glad to have been privy to it. "I love you," She did her best to mouth before she saw no more.

"Ah!" Mai shot up in bed, panting heavily as she clutched her neck. "Oh wow..." She shuddered at the all too recent memory of her dream. Her throat still burned and she idly noted how rare it was that her dreams were so vivid that she still believed herself to be in pain after she woke. She rubbed it soothingly as she glanced at the clock. "Oh! I'm going to be late!" She exclaimed, jumping out of bed. She knew that however bad she thought her dream had been that Naru was three times as worse, so decided it would be best to put it out of her mind for the time being.

She quickly dressed and ran a brush through her hair. She didn't have enough time to really check herself out in the mirror, so she could only hope she looked half-way decent. After she located her bag- grateful to her past self that she'd had the foresight to pack it the night before- Mai ran out of her house, hoping she didn't end up being too late.

Naru was leaning against the SPR van when she arrived, head tilted back and eyes closed. "Mai," Naru said as she ran up to him, not even bothering to open an eye. "You're late." Well damn.

"I know," She panted, doubled over while she caught her breath. "Sorry...I woke...I woke up late," Mai took a deep breath and smiled cautiously at him when she straightened.

He sighed and brought his head back up. "That's no excu-" Naru stopped suddenly and his eyes went wide. Mai watched him warily.

"Naru? What's wrong?" Naru walked up to her and took her face into his hands. Her face burned as he tilted her head up.

"Mai, what happened to you?" He asked softly (so softly she immediately froze- that was not a tone he normally used with her when she wasn't in danger), eying her with concern. Mai's eyebrows creased.

"What are you talking about? What's wrong?"

Naru narrowed his eyes at her, his face registering somewhere between 'I'd-really-hate-to-have-to-kill-you' and 'Oh-my-God-what-tried-to-kill-you' on the Dealing-With-Mai scale. "Your neck, Mai. What happened to your neck?" He grazed his fingers across her throat lightly. "It looks like you were strangled."

Mai's eyes went to the size of saucers. "What? Really?" Mai reached a hand up to her neck unconsciously. "I had a dream! That's why I was late. I had a dream and I..." Mai trailed off.

"You were choked in the dream," Naru finished for her. Mai nodded silently, chewing on her lip. She walked over to the van and bent so that her neck was visible in the rear-view mirror and gasped when she saw the dark blue and purple imprints encircling her neck. They were shaped like hands, petite womanly hands, and Mai even noticed the tiny, crescent shaped cuts unmistakably made by fingernails.

"How..." Mai wondered aloud, totally lost.

"I'm not sure," Naru examined her a moment longer before walking back to the office. He stuck his head through the doorway. "Lin? Come here."

Lin emerged a few moments later, laptop tucked securely under his arm. "Are we leaving?"

Naru simply waved an arm in Mai's direction, massaging his temples. As Lin's eyes widened in a similar fashlion to how Naru's had, she noted that is was not yet 11 in the morning and her boss looked 100% done with the day already. She didn't figure looking this exasperated this early was good for his health. Just as she was considering signing the poor guy up for a few yoga classes, Lin drew her attention back to the matter at hand by carefully turning her head around so he could see the marks. "Mai, what happened? Are you alright?"

"She had a dream," Naru said for her. He spoke sharply and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

"A dream..." Lin released her and blew out a stream of air in thought. His eyes creased in concern and he clasped his hands together thoughtfully. "The dream affected your body?" He clarified. Mai nodded her affirmation and Lin took the Naru approach to stress and began to lightly rub his temples. "You shouldn't be able to do that."

Mai's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

"You're astral projecting into your dreams. Like you did before with Masako?" He reminded, continuing when she nodded her understanding. "Before it was just your spirit, but I believe that what you've done is you've projected your actual, physical body into the spirit's memories," Lin considered her for a second. "You're a strong psychic, but I never would have thought that you would be able to do something like this. Not without trying, at the very least."

The three were silent for a few seconds and Mai plopped down onto the sidewalk with a mildly distressed noise. "Is it dangerous?" Naru asked finally, glancing down at her.

Lin looked at him, sighing heavily. "A little," He admitted. "From what I know about it, projecting that way should drain your energy, Mai, but I'm not sure if the principle applies when you're not doing it on purpose," Mai bit her lip, avoiding eye contact with Naru. If she projected into her dreams too often, did that mean she could collapse like Naru had on their last case?

"Why did I get hurt?" She asked partly out of concern and partially so she'd have a distraction. She was dealing with enough at the moment. Re-living one of the single most terrifying days of her life wasn't high on her list of To-Do's today.

Naru took this one, speaking contemplatively with his chin in his hand. "My guess is that the physical damage you incurred was because of your being in the spirit's place. I assume that if you were to be a third party looking on, you'd be alright."

Mai sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "What do I do?" She asked, glancing between them both. "I've never had a say in what kind of dream I have. I don't know how to control that."

Lin gave her a half-smile and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll make some calls. I've never met anyone who has done something like this without intending to, but someone must know something about this. Don't worry, we'll figure it out," Beside him, Naru nodded in agreement and Mai gave them both a grateful smile.

Naru cleared his throat. "Until then," He said, offering Mai a helping hand up. "We're going to have to keep a close eye on you."

Mai rolled her eyes as he helped her to her feet. Once she was standing she dusted off her skirt and crossed her arms. "I'm fine."

"Obviously," Naru said dryly. He picked up the last box of equipment that needed to be loaded into the van.

"I'm serious Naru!" She exclaimed. "Nothing that bad happened, so you don't need to worry about it!"

Lin helped Naru secure the last box into the car. "You know, we could always have her sleep in the base. That way someone will always be around her if something happens," He informed his young charge, both men now ignoring the indignant teen behind them.

"That's a good idea, actually" He agreed, glancing back. "Did you hear that, Mai?" He asked, working hard to keep the corners of his mouth from quirking up while his assistant shot him one of the dirtiest looks he'd ever seen her make. It was like dealing with an irate kitten. "You'll be sleeping in base for the entirety of this case."

Mai gaped. "Seriously?" She exclaimed. "Don't I have any say in this?"

"Not really," Lin told her with a smile. Naru smirked at her glare and opened the van door, silently gesturing for her to get in.

Mai stomped to the van with crossed arms, throwing herself down on to the leather seat with an angry huff. "No one listens to me at all," She informed Naru when he slid in next to her.

Instead of acknowledging her, he made a point of leaning forward to hand Lin a map. "I've highlighted the address of the client's house," He informed the older man before sitting back and shooting Mai a smug look. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" The resulting growl out of her had been quite unladylike, if one were to ask for his opinion.

After a few more minutes of bickering, the car lapsed in to a comfortable silence. Mai had been on the verge of falling asleep when Naru suddenly addressed her. "Mai," He said, waiting a second for her to compose herself as she jerked up and rubbed sleep out of her eyes. "What happened in your dream?"

"Oh," Mai sat up and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry. I never told you, did I?" She relayed the dream to him, looking down as she recalled the sad memory. Naru was stared into space, thinking with his chin resting on his hand.

"So the woman was the mother of whomever you were taking the place of," Naru concluded. Mai winced, but nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I called her 'Mom' but she didn't seem to like it much. What a horrible woman," Mai frowned, unable to imagine her own mother ever having behaved that way toward her.

Naru hummed. "Unfortunately, we deal with large amount of terrible people in our line of work," Mai sighed and turned to look out the window, knowing all too well how true that statement was. Naru cleared his throat and Mai glanced over at him, surprised at how closely he was watching her. "Are you alright?"

The gentleness of his voice threw her off for a second. "Y-yeah," She beamed, touched at his concern. She gave him a big thumbs up. "I'm okay. Thanks,"

"We're here," Lin said suddenly, unknowingly ruining the nice moment. Mai swiveled around and peered out the window, pumping her fist as Lin drove up the driveway.

"Yes!" Mai exclaimed while Naru sighed sufferingly. "This is going to be great!"

 **So I'm beginning to learn that writing Naru is a bigger challenge than I anticipated. In my mind I contort him to be this gentle, if not a bit bull headed, man but the fact is he's just not. He's a narcissistic jerk with a soft spot for a certain little brunette that need not be named (it's Yasu) and that's why we love him. Anyway, please review and say what you thought about the chapter!** Tell me if you thought Naru's characterization was off **or anything and let me know what you liked or didn't like.** Remember, it's your feedback that keeps me going! **Thank you all so much and I hope to see you again next chapter! I love you! *blows kiss***


	3. Case 1-A Mother's Love-Part 3

~Case 1 - A Mother's Love - Part 3~

"Everyone's here!" Mai clapped happily as Lin pulled in to the client's driveway. It excited her to no end to know she was going to see her surrogate family again. Mai jumped out of the car before it even came to a complete stop. "John! Yasu!" She ran to the two boys and hugged them tightly around their necks. Yasu laughed and John smiled. They each put an arm around her to hug her back.

"Hi Mai," John said, making Mai smile with his thick accent.

"Long time no see," Yasu grinned.

Mai grinned back. "Yeah. I'm so excited to see everyone. It's been so boring without everyone around!"

She stepped backward, content and ready to get to work. "Okay, time to...what?" John and Yasu's smiles had faded. John touched his own throat with his hand as an indicator. "Oh, my neck," She supplied unnecessarily. Yasu nodded dumbly as the rest of the team ran up to them.

Mai opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Ayako had taken hold of her face and was examining her. "Oh my God! Mai! What happened?" Ayako whipped around to face Naru and Lin. "What happened? Those weren't there yesterday! Who did that?" By this time Monk was next to her as well, solemnly looking at the hand prints around her throat and giving the two males an expectant look.

"Guys, I'm fine!" Mai placed a soothing hand on Monk and Ayako's arm, trying to assure them that she was alright. "Nothing happened. I just had a dream."

As soon as it came out of her mouth, she realized she hadn't really explained anything. She could see her friends about to explode with questions, but just before they started grilling her, a soft voice interrupted them. "She astral projected into her dream."

Mai sighed in relief and nodded vigorously. Thank Masako of all people to be her saving grace. Now that they had been stunned into silence, Mai took the opportunity to do a quick run-down of what had occurred up until this point, including a full recounting of her dream and the conversation they'd had before they left (though leaving out the sweet moment she'd had with Naru in the car- that was just for her). There was a short pause while her teammates processed the information. Yasu, Monk, Ayako opened their mouths to ask questions but before anyone could, Naru had evidently reached his fill and crossed his arms, glaring at his employees.

"If I may remind you, we are on a case and we won't be doing any good standing in their front yard. Get the equipment unpacked and set up. We can discuss it later."

"Right, sorry," They all muttered and did as he commanded. He'd had a long day already and the last thing they needed was to invoke his wrath.

Mai started toward the van only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned to see Ayako holding a white decorative scarf out toward her. "To cover the bruises," Ayako explained at the sight of Mai's befuddled expression.

"Oh, that's a great idea, Ayako!" Mai grinned. "I didn't even think of that. Thanks!"

"Of course it's a great idea. I thought of it, after all," Ayako laughed and wrapped the scarf around Mai's neck. "Don't mention it. There's no need for you to go scare the small children," She teased as she finished looping it around the girl's throat. "There we go. Now let's get to work before Naru has an aneurysm," Mai laughed with an agreeing nod and they both walked back over to the van

"Mai," Naru called to her as she picked up a box. "You're coming with me to base."

"Okay!" She called, picking up a second box and stacking it on top of the first before hurrying over to him.

Naru took a box from her. "Oh, thanks," She said. "You don't have to carry it for me, though."

Naru just motioned for her to go ahead of him. "We're going to drop these off first, then we're going to interview the family."

"Mkay," She hummed in agreement. "Why aren't you taking Lin instead of me?"

"Lin is stronger than you are," Naru said simply. "And I'd like to get the interviews done as soon as possible. You have the ability to take notes, right?"

"Yes," Mai huffed. "I'm not incompetent."

"That's your opinion," Naru quipped. He reached the front door and stepped through, holding it open for her.

"Thank you," Mai grumbled. She took a step through the threshold and immediately stumbled, nearly dropping the box she was carrying when she had to clamp a hand down over her mouth. Her eyes began to water as the unmistakable sensation of being surrounded by smoke assaulted her. She coughed, glancing up at Naru with watery eyes. "Do you feel that?" She rasped.

"Feel what?" He frowned at her.

"The smoke," Mai coughed, taking his answer as a solid 'no'. Naru took her box from her and set it, along with his, on the ground. Ignoring her mild complaints, he instructed her to lean back against the wall until she could breathe normally again. She did as he said, slowly feeling the "smoke" start to dissipate and aware of Naru alternating between jotting something down into his notepad and looking up to see how she was.

This was how Tai Oita found them a minute or so later. He walked up to them curiously. "Hello again. Are the pair of you alright?"

Naru shook the client's hand. "Yes, thank you," He said, glancing over at Mai out of the corner of his eye. She was taking a few deep breaths but otherwise appeared to have recovered. "We were hoping you could direct the way to the room we'll be operating out of."

The man nodded enthusiastically. "Certainly, Mr. Shibuya. Please follow me."

Naru quickly stooped down and picked up both of the boxes they had dropped (ignoring a hissed "Naru!" from Mai- he knew she'd never argue with him in front of a client) and followed Mr. Oita up a massive flight of stairs (if these were the stairs his wife had nearly fallen down Mai could understand Mr. Oita's concern) and down a hallway. "I've already met the rest of you're team," He informed them as they reached their base. "I'm so glad you could all make it here so quickly! My family and I really appreciate it!"

Mai smiled. What a nice man. It was sad that he and his family had to deal with something like this. "We're just happy to help!" He turned and gave her a kind smile, stepping out of the way so they could enter the room.

The room was large and furnished with three large couches and four big shelf computer tables- _way_ more than they were used to getting on an investigation. "Wow," Mai admired, turning in a circle.

"I hope the room is satisfactory," Mr. Oita smiled from the doorway. "Your bedrooms are the last two at the end of the hall. Is there anything I can help with?"

Naru faced him. "If at all possible, I'd like you to direct the rest of your family here so we can talk to them about what they've experienced."

"Of course. I let them know now," He closed the door softly behind him as he left.

Naru turned on her. "What just happened?" He asked as soon as the door was shut.

Mai snorted at the bluntness. "Well I don't feel it anymore, but when I walked in it almost felt like I was in the middle of a fire..." Mai pondered what she felt and began to unpack the boxes. "It smelled like there was smoke everywhere. It was weird and really took me off guard. I don't know what it was, exactly."

He leaned back in his chair. "Strange," He commented, putting his chin in his hand contemplatively. "I'll have Yasuhara investigate anything that has to do with fire when everything is set up," He said, more to himself than her.

They looked over as the door to the room creaked open. In the open doorway stood a middle-aged woman with dark blonde hair and a kind smile. Behind her stood two young children- a boy and a girl- who must have been twins. They couldn't have been older than six and they shared the same color hair as the woman they were currently hiding behind the legs of.

"Hi," Mai immediately crouched and gave them a sweet smile. She loved children and these two were both so adorable! "I'm Mai. What are your names?"

The boy and girl glanced up at their mother who nodded at them encouragingly. "I'm Misao," The little girl said shyly.

"I'm Hiro," The boy followed his sister's lead. "And this is our mommy," He added after a second.

"I'm Sei," The woman corrected with a laugh. She walked forward to give both Naru and Mai a handshake. "I'm assuming you're Kazuya Shibuya," She said.

"I am. This is my assistant, Mai Taniyama," Mai stood to her full height and bowed politely at Sei.

"Do you want some candy?" Mai asked the kids. They nodded enthusiastically, all former shyness gone. Sei chuckled softly while Mai went to retrieve some lollipops from her bag.

"They're not hard to please," She smiled fondly. "My husband said you wanted to speak with us?"

"Right," Naru gestured for her to sit on a couch. Her kids soon sat next to her, content smiles on their faces as they ate their candy. Mai came to stand behind Naru, a notepad and pen in her hand. "Have you experienced anything other than the incidents that your husband has informed us of- that is, hair pulling, pushing, being locked into room, and being nearly strangled?"

Sei tilted her head, thinking. "I think that's it for the physical part."

Mai looked up. "Physical?"

Sei pursed her lips. "Something keeps whispering to me. No one else can hear it but me. It says the oddest things. 'I won't let you hurt them', 'I'll protect them' things like that."

Naru nodded. "He mentioned that as well. Do you know who 'they' are?"

Sei pursed her lips. "I think they're talking about Misao and Hiro. Normally things happen to me when I play with them or just get done playing with them. But I don't know why anyone would think they need to be protected from me. I hardly ever even discipline them- that's normally my husband. I'm a huge pushover and they get away with a lot," At the last comment she reached down and teasingly poked both children in the sides. Mai smiled when they both giggled and squirmed away from her.

He waited for the children to calm down before continuing. "What about your kids?" Naru asked while Mai scribbled away in the notepad. "Have they experienced anything?"

The twins were silent. They looked at each other briefly before seemingly coming to some sort of mental agreement. "Sometimes we hear a boy," Misao said.

Sei looked at them with a startled expression that told Mai that she probably hadn't been aware of this. "He talks to you?" Naru asked.

"No," Hiro shook his head. "It just cries and stuff."

"It yells sometimes, too," Misao added.

"Have you ever seen anything?" Mai asked. They both shook their head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sei asked them, wide-eyed.

Misao shrugged. "We didn't think it was important."

"Is that everything?" Naru interrupted as Sei began to open her mouth.

She looked at her children. They nodded. "Yes, that's everything."

"Then thank you. We've got what we need," Naru said, standing up. Mai handed him the notepad and he read through her notes. She beamed when he nodded approvingly.

"Our pleasure," The woman responded politely before shepherding her children out the door.

Hardly 30 seconds had passed before the door was slammed opened. Mai jumped a foot in the air and whirled around with a loud gasp to see that the rest of the gang had made finally made it up.

"That staircase is way too long," Monk panted, discarding his cargo and collapsing onto the couch.

"You said it," Ayako agreed, sitting down with a little more grace.

Masako looked at them and shook her head. "Disgraceful," She muttered behind her sleeve. She walked over and delicately sat down on the couch Mai was currently inhabiting.

"Hi Masako," Mai said nicely, preparing herself for the scathing remark she knew was coming.

"Hi Mai," Masako replied with an odd look on her face. It looked like a cross between embarrassment, shyness, and friendliness. "How have you been? It's been quite a long time."

Mai's eyebrows creased in confusion. Since when was Masako nice to her? "Yeah, it has been," Mai said, deciding she didn't care what caused Masako's sudden warmth. She wasn't about to complain- she'd just enjoy it while it lasted. "I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm good," Masako said, smiling a little more calmly than before.

"Miss Matsuzaki and Miss Hara, I want to both of you to take temperatures," Naru announced as he plugged the monitors into the wall. Ayako sighed heavily while Masako nodded. "Mai and Monk, go set up cameras," Monk sidled over to Mai and ruffled her hair affectionately. "And Yasu, take John with you to find information," He handed the student a piece of paper. "This is the information we have so far. I want you to find everything you can about any fires on the property."

"You got it!" Yasu said, flashing a grin over at the young priest. John smiled back and gave Yasu a thumbs up.

Mai looked around the room contently as everyone set about their assigned jobs. She held a camera to her chest and smiled fondly. It was good to be back.

 **Aw look, the gang's all here and ready to begin their case! I don't know about you guys, but I was just like Misao and Hiro when I was a little kid. My parent's were on a need-to-know basis and for a while it was rare for them to need to know. I remember when I was maybe six my mom was in the bathroom and a mailman came to deliver a package so when he knocked I yelled "Mommy says not to talk to strangers!" and ignored him and he left. Later my mom was talking to my dad and mentioned that a package should have come and I told her what happened and she got made at me for not telling her. Anyway, I digress. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!** _Please review and let me know what you thought!_ **Thanks for reading,** _I love you all!_


	4. Case 1-A Mother's Love-Part 4

~Case 1 - A Mother's Love - Part 4~

"Almost done," Mai sang as she and Monk finished hooking up another camera. Monk grinned.

"Only a couple more," He smiled. "It's a good thing, too. This house is bigger than it looks."

"There _are_ lots of rooms," She said with a sigh. They had been working for almost an hour already, and Mai was pretty over it. Ayako and Masako were probably done taking temperatures by now. At least Monk was there to keep her company. "Is the sound alright, Lin?"

"Yes," Lin's voice crackled over her walkie-talkie. Mai gave the camera a thumbs up as she collected the microphones. Monk gathered the remaining cameras.

"How many more rooms, Monk?" Mai asked as they headed toward the living room.

"After this one we're done," Monk told her. Mai pumped her fist.

"Good! I am so ready to go back!" She skipped down the hall, the mics clacking together with every jump.

"Careful," Monk laughed at her antics, trailing behind at a slower pace. "With your luck, you're going to fall. Or break something."

She laughed. "I will not!" She turned around and put her hands on her hips in an mock-angry fashion. Monk snorted at her attempt to look fearsome. "I am-"

"Miss Mai!" Two young voices cried out to her. Monk and Mai looked over curiously.

"Oh, hi Misao. Hi Hiro," Mai gave the kids a smile and crouched down as they ran up to her. They barreled into her, almost knocking her off balance.

"Hi Miss Mai," They shot twin grins at her and she took a moment to wonder how two people's movements could be so completely in sync. "We were looking for you!"

"You were?" Mai asked, quirking an eyebrow over her shoulder at Monk. He shrugged, looking on interestedly. "What do you need?"

"We need you to come play with us," Hiro told her. Misao nodded seriously next to him.

Mai looked at them apologetically. "I'm sorry, guys, I can't play right now."

Misao and Hiro frowned. "But I thought we were friends," Hiro said. Misao's eyes started getting a little watery.

Mai melted. "Aw, no! We are!" She soothed quickly. "I just have to help my other friends first! We'll play later, I promise!"

"Really?" Mai nodded affirmatively. "Yay!" The twins launched themselves at her again, this time succeeding in knocking her off balance. She fell onto her butt with an "Oof", taking them with her. They all started giggling.

"Alright," Mai chuckled after a moment. "You guys should go off. I'll see you later, I promise."

"Okay," They hummed happily. Turning with a wave they said "Bye, Miss Mai!" then ran off the way they came.

Mai looked after them fondly. Having almost forgotten she wasn't alone, she jumped when Monk put a hand on her head. "You're really good with kids," Monk observed with a soft smile. "They really love you."

"Yeah," Mai said, looking up at him. "I've just always been a kid person, I guess. I'm not sure why they like me so much."

"It's because you're so sweet," He cooed, bringing her to her feet and engulfing her in a bear hug. She laughed and patted him on the back, encouraging him to release his grip.

"Yeah, yeah," Mai brushed her clothes off. "We should finish before Naru comes to see what's taking so long."

Monk winced. "Man, he's gonna be mad. It's going to take a little while to get the camera set up and all the leftover equipment put away," Mai paused and tilted her head. "What's up, Mai?"

"We could just split up," She suggested. "I'll handle the last camera, you can put everything else away, and then we can meet up at base."

Monk hesitated. "I don't think that's such a good idea, kid."

"Why not?" Mai re-adjusted the mics against her shoulder. "It'll save time and a lecture from Naru."

"What if something happens?"

"We've only been here a couple hours," Mai dismissed with a wave of her hand. "It'll be fine," She shooed him away. "Now go! C'mon! We'll meet up at base in like 10 minutes."

Monk watched her contemplativly for a moment before sighing. "Alright. Be careful, though."

"I will be!" She promised, swapping some equipment with him before taking off into a slow jog into the living room, leaving him behind.

"This house is really nice," Mai thought aloud, trailing her fingers along the spines of some old books. The living room had big, elegant wooden bookcases completely lining one wall. Against the opposite wall there was a fireplace surrounded by some old chairs. With not much else in it save a few tables, she guessed it was designed to be a reading room by a past owner. "All of this furniture looks pretty aged," Mai muttered to herself. "I wonder if the furniture was passed down with the house..."

Shrugging at her own question, she set about hooking up the camera. She chose to place it in the far corner of the room where it would be able to view nearly everything that happened (though there was a tiny blind spot between the wall and a bookcase). Mai set the camera up quickly, surprising herself. Normally it took her a bit of time to hook one up by herself because of all the wires. Grinning proudly to herself, she raised her arms above her head and stretched.

She glanced at the clock and wondered if Monk was done with his task yet. Deciding he probably was, she started for the door. If she hurried back, Naru might not throw such a hissy fit at their being late. Almost to the door, Mai stopped suddenly. She thought she felt something brush against her wrist. She looked around, already perfectly aware she wouldn't see anyone. Shaking her head, she tried to calm herself. It was just a light brush; she could have imagined it. But it felt like fingers to her... Mai took a deep breath. She concluded that getting out of the room would probably be the best idea. She began toward the door again, more quickly this time, when she felt above another touch on her wrist. There could be no pretending that this one was in her head; her hand moved as if someone pushed it forward and she felt a bizarre sensation of something that was almost solid, but not quite, passing through the skin of her wrist. another step toward the door. Her hand was pushed slightly, absolutely by a hand this time. It only took another moment for the apparition to collect its mass and tightly grasp her.

Mai gasped loudly at the contact and the hand yanked her back further into the room. Suddenly, the body-less hand had a hold of both of her wrists and was using them to drag her into the middle of the room. It held her arms above her head as she struggled in an attempt to free herself from the invisible assailant.

Apparently her plight didn't bother whatever was holding her in the slightest. It pushed her forward , closer to the bookcases. When it was apparently satisfied with her location, it released her wrists and quickly switched to holding her shoulders instead. Giving a hard shove, it sent her to the ground.

Mai's head cracked against the solid wood flood of the living room. Dazed slightly, she assessed her situation. The ghost's hands held tight to her shoulders and she felt a weight on her body. Assuming the spirit was on her, she thrashed to try to get it off.

Every movement Mai was making stopped when a slow movement in front of her caught her eye. Her eyes widened in terror as the giant bookshelf before her began to rock. It moved slowly back and forth, as if someone was pushing it. Tipping it.

She panicked, fighting against the invisible force holding her in place. Her mind raced as she tried to get up. How was she going to get up if the ghost wouldn't release her? Would one of her friends notice and come to save her? The camera was right over in the corner; surely someone would notice, right? Her blood ran ice cold when she realized the ghost had managed to get her into the camera's _one_ blind spot.

 _"I won't allow you to hurt them,"_ Something hissed into her ear.

Suddenly, the bookcase was falling. The hands holding Mai disappeared in the same moment, giving her the ability to at least brace herself. As it fell towards her, Mai opened her mouth and let out an ear-piercing scream.

 **~Meanwhile~**

Naru scowled in silent frustration as Ayako and Masako entered the previously silent room. Ayako was in the middle of a conversation with Masako, who didn't look like she was completely happy with the situation either.

"Hiya ladies," Yasu perked up at the woman's arrival. "Done so soon?"

"Soon?" Ayako scoffed, sitting down on the couch and crossing one leg over the other. "We've been at it for over an hour."

"An hour to do temps?" Yasu raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"We had to re-check some of them because Ayako was using a broken thermometer," Masako said blandly from behind her sleeve.

Ayako glared. Suddenly, a mischievous smirk appeared on her face as an idea came to her. She leaned forward. "So, Masako," Ayako drawled. "I noticed you and Mai were very friendly earlier."

Masako pursed her lips, not quite sure she knew where the red-haired woman was going. "Yes..." She answered slowly. "I was friendly with my friend. Is that odd?"

"Oh no, not at all," Ayako waved her hand in dismissal. "I just wasn't aware you and she were on friendly terms. What with your...rivalry and all."

The medium stiffened. _Oh_. "I have no rivalry with Mai anymore."

"No?" Ayako questioned. The women were aware that everyone in base was listening to them. John and Lin kept trying to work while listening to them discreetly. Yasu had put down his files and wasn't even trying to pretend like he was working. His chin was in his hand and he was watching them eagerly. Naru just sat there, staring at a piece of paper in his file.

"No. I've...moved on from it," Masako chose her words carefully, trying to be as vague as she could. Ayako's eyes widened. She was just teasing Masako, thinking maybe she'd had some sort of moral epiphany while they hadn't seen each other. Had she really moved on from her crush on Naru?

"No way!" Ayako exclaimed, no longer patronizing.

"Way," Masako sighed at the woman's wide-eyed look.

"Who? Do we know him?" Ayako whispered so the men at the computers couldn't hear. At this the black-haired girl blushed a deep crimson and looked everywhere but at Ayako's face and the general area of where Yasu and John were sitting on a couch. Ayako looked at the two men analytically.

"Ahem," John cleared his throat, a light blush on his face. He wasn't completely sure what was going on, but Ayako's eyes on them let him know that a change is subject was a good idea. "Mai and Monk are late, aren't they?" Yasu sighed sadly at the change. He'd have to do actual work again now that his juicy gossip mill had been shut down.

"Slowpokes," Ayako muttered under her breath. "Don't worry about it. They probably just started goofing off. You know them."

"So you don't think something happened?" Yasu pushed his glasses further up his nose.

Ayako shook her head. "No. They're always late like this. Plus, they're together. They should be safe."

In an amazing display of good timing, Monk walked through the door just as the words left her mouth. "I'm back!" He announced unnecessarily.

The room was quiet for a moment. Ayako shook her head disappointedly and buried it in her hands. "...Monk?" John decided to be the one to ask the question. "Where's Mai?"

Monk looked around the room. "She's not here yet, then? We decided to split up to get everything done faster."

"You split up?" Naru looked up from his file. He put it down in front of him and turned to give Monk a glare. "Why did you both go off on your own?"

"It seemed like a good ide-" Monk began to defend themselves but Naru cut him off.

"It wasn't a good idea. I ask everyone to always go in pairs for a reason. Anything could happen," Naru's tone of voice was sharp and his glare matched it.

"C'mon, Naru, give him a break," Yasu tried to sooth the big boss. "Nothing's happened yet and-"

"But it's Mai," Naru reminded, bringing a hand up to massage his temple. "That girl is the biggest danger magnet I've ever met in."

"She should be back any minute," Monk said meekly. Naru narrowed his eyes.

"She should be back now," Naru stood up and went for the door. Just as he reached out to grip the handle, a loud scream ripped through the air. The sound was closely followed by a loud smash.

"Mai!"


End file.
